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24 Sep 2011 22:19

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Music: Nirvana’s “Nevermind” turns 20: And now you feel really old

  • When Nirvana took to the majors, nobody expected the level of lasting success that “Nevermind” or its lead single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” would quickly attain. (Above is “Lithium,” a classic all its own.) But for many music fans, it proved an entry point — a rare underground-leaning release that rose overground — and unlike fellow flag-bearer Pearl Jam, it’s one that didn’t lose its oomph after the fact. But it caught a few folks off-guard. Former “120 Minutes” host Dave Kendall, who premiered “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on MTV, puts it as such: “I have to say, quite honestly, as soon as I heard that record and saw that video, I had no idea they were going to be as huge as they were, I was very, very impressed. I was moved but I really didn’t have any idea it would explode to the extent it did. There’s the truth.” MTV has some great features on the album that defined the network for a solid couple of years. Forget the overhype; let’s remember them for what they were: A great band in the right place at the right time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2011 18:31

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U.S.: Early investigation: Mechanical failure may have caused Reno crash

  • A tiny part of the plane might have gone missing. Competitive planes such as Jimmy Leeward’s Galloping Ghost are often highly-customized to help them move quicker and more efficiently. One of those part is the “elevator trim tab,” a piece of the plane that helps neutralize controls during a flight — something which comes in handy more than usual if, say, you regularly fly more than 500 miles per hour, like you might in a racing plane. In planes like Leeward’s, not having that piece would have made maneuvering the plane very difficult, and may have forced the plane to pitch severely upward. It might have even caused him to black out just before the crash itself. While the NTSB’s own report was vague, those in the aviation community suggest this combination of things caused Leeward to black out, leading to the crash. In the photo above, the part appears to be missing from the plane, so it’s entirely feasible. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2011 13:21

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World: Vladimir Putin may face tougher economic road second time around

  • The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine. But this should always be done openly and honestly, and then the overwhelming majority of people will understand their government.
  • Russian Premier Vladimir Putin • Explaining what might be coming next for Russians — that is, austerity measures. The former-and-likely-to-be Russian President grew greatly popular on the back of business-friendly economic measures (a flat tax!) that may not be easy to keep up in the current global economic climate. Will Putin, round two, prove to be as memorable as Putin, round one? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2011 12:50

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World: Russia: Putin and Medvedev trading places like Murphy and Aykroyd

On the left, a guy who wants his old job back. On the right, a guy who’s got said job and will accept an ultimate job swap — from President to Premier — for the 2012 election. The United Russia party likes this idea. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Sep 2011 12:33

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Tech: Dish Network’s Netflix killer has catch that limits its killing abilities

  • yeah … Dish Network’s new Netflix competitor — based around the recently-acquired Blockbuster brand — offers 100,000 DVDs by mail and 4,000 streaming films for $10 a month. Considering the current status of Netflix and Qwikster, the time is now.
  • … but You have to be a Dish Network subscriber to take advantage of this deal, which seems like a major mess-up on the part of Dish. (They are offering a deal to get it for free for a year, for new subscribers.) Timing is on your side, guys! Do something smart! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 21:43

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Politics: UC Berkeley College Republicans hold racially-charged bake sale

  • The pricing structure is there to bring attention, to cause people to get a little upset. But it’s really there to cause people to think more critically about what this kind of policy would do in university admissions.
  • UC Berkeley College Republicans president Shawn Lewis • Discussing his group’s reasoning for having a bake sale where people paid different prices based on their race and gender. The pricing scale’s kinda like this: $2 for whites, $1.50 for Asians, $1 for Latinos, $0.75 for Blacks and $0.25 for Native Americans — with a discount of 25 cents for women of all races. As you might guess, this bake sale, scheduled for Tuesday, is flaring up emotions quicker than a character in the movie “PCU.” It’s not the first time it’s been tried — a couple of other schools have tried the idea, and it’s been shut down at least once. What do you think? Does this seem disrespectful and worth getting angry over, or is there a valid point here? (h/t ProducerMatthew) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 19:35

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Biz: Groupon restates its 2010 revenues … by more than half

  • $713.4 million the amount Groupon originally stated as its 2010 revenues
  • $312.9 million the amount the company changed that to today … damn source
  • » How does one misstate $400 million in revenues? Good question! Let’s ask the COO, Margo Georgiadis, what she thinks happened. Oh wait, she just resigned after five months and went back to Google. Meanwhile, chief executive Andrew Mason says that her departure offers an opportunity “reorganize in a way that reflects our evolving strategic priorities.” Great answer. We learned so much from that statement. (Edit: To explain what happened, when Groupon sold a coupon, they counted the entire coupon as revenue, despite the fact they only got half of the coupon. The SEC said that was a no-no, so now Groupon looks a lot less valuable.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 17:50

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Tech: LulzSec arrest: HideMyAss.com fails at basic mission outlined in name

  • what 23-year-old Cody Kretsinger, allegedly one of the key hackers involved in LulzSec’s Sony Pictures hack and subsequent leak of user data, was arrested on Thursday, the FBI says.
  • why Kretsinger reportedly used a proxy server called HideMyAss.com to cover up his identity. But, instead of hiding his ass, the site reportedly cooperated with authorities, meaning his ass wasn’t hid. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 11:07

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U.S.: Jaycee Dugard sues the government for failing to monitor her captor

  • The lawsuit claims the government really failed the recently-freed sexual abuse victim. Why was it that a man convicted of rape and sentenced to 50 years in jail was out after 11 years? And how did the U.S. government, which was supposed to check on him due to the fact that he was a paroled sex offender, miss a giant fortress where Dugard and her two daughters was held hostage for nearly two decades? Why did they miss obvious tell signs, like neighbors calling the police? And why didn’t parole officers come at all some years? These are all obvious questions, and all reasons why Jaycee Dugard, now 31, is suing the federal government. Philip Garrido and his wife Nancy are already in jail for their crimes against Dugard. Now, Dugard’s going after the government. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Sep 2011 09:16

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Politics: Blogger at debate: Booing at gay soldier limited to one or two people

  • I was at the debate, in the audience on the right hand side about halfway back. The person who booed was just a few rows in front of us. The booing got an immediate and angry reaction from nearly everyone sitting around him, who hissed and shushed at him. Lots of loud gasps, ‘Shhhh!’ ‘No!’ ‘Shut up, you idiot!’ etc.
  • Blogger Sarah Rumpf • Discussing what actually happened during last night’s debate, during the infamous Rick Santorum/gay soldier question. We’d like to proudly note that our writer Chris managed to get this right the first time, rather than claiming the entire crowd was booing. Rumpf explains how the spare booing managed to echo through the room so effectively, and then denounces it. “There may be different opinions among Republicans about gays in the military,” she says, “but booing a soldier is not acceptable, and all but one or two people in a crowd of thousands knew that.” (thanks Dave Weigel) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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